Paint the Town Red
by blackandwhitedesire
Summary: Next Gen! Broken hearts, secret crushes, and dark pasts are only some of the problems that the children of the infamous Potters and Weasleys face. Now with a new threat rising in the Wizarding World and the delicate balance of peace in danger, everything is changing, meaning that sometimes they'll just need to let loose and paint the town red. Albus/Scorpius, Lily/OC, James/OC


**At one point I had promised myself that I would never embark on the journey of writing more than one fanfiction at one time, but it is a very good thing I did not make an Unbreakable Vow on that. What can I say? Harry Potter is irresistible, blame Jo Rowling. At any rate, I love the Next Generation, and I am quite excited to write this fic, and I hope others are excited to read it, or at least enjoy reading it. Now because I know some things aren't everyone's cup of tea, the two pairings that are absolutely concrete endgame in this story are Albus Severus/Scorpius Malfoy, and James Potter/OC, as well as Lily/OC, though I haven't decided which character Lily will end up with yet. Albus, James, and Lily will be the three main characters, but it will feature the entire Next Gen heavily. I have certain pairings in mind, but my brain is a fickle place indeed, and my preferences will probably change with the tide. I know slash isn't everyone's cup of tea, however that's one of the pairings I'm choosing to write in this story, so if you don't like, walk on. I won't begrudge readers their right to have their own tastes, but I don't want to get reviews telling me how they thought this would be Albus/OC, because I'm clearly stating now that it is not. Also this will be rated heavily on the 'T' side for underage smoking, drinking, heavy swearing, and generally teenagers being teenagers. With that being said, please enjoy this first installment of Paint the Town Red.**

**Disclaimer: I hold no claim over any character, plot, creature, or anything else you might recognize. I have manufactured certain events within J.K. Rowling's fictional world for pure entertainment, and am receiving no profit from this story. Nothing you recognize belongs to me.**

* * *

**Chapter One: Damn It All To Hell**

If there was ever a time when Albus Severus Potter needed a smoke, it was on September 1st of the year. However he knew the moment he lit up a cig, his mother would appear beside him and snatch it from between his lips, grinding it beneath her heel. She thought it to be a detestable habit, and while it probably was, Albus just didn't care. It calmed him down, and right now he really needed that.

A part of him was aware of the fact that it would be rather unbecoming for the Head Boy to be caught smoking before getting on the Hogwarts Express. Albus snorted mentally. He really hadn't a clue as to how he had secured that particular position. He wasn't even a Prefect. He had been quite put out upon receiving the badge, but his parents had been so damn proud, and he hadn't the heart to tell them that he didn't even want the stupid thing. Of course he had been quick to rub it into his best mate's face that it was him who earned the golden spot, instead of the actual Seventh Year Prefect.

Walking across the platform with his hands buried deep inside the pockets of his trousers, Albus walked past the various families bidding their children tearful goodbyes. He knew he should be saying one of those goodbyes at the moment, but he had felt so _smothered_ all of a sudden. It wasn't uncommon for him. Albus was a solitary creature by nature, something his mother never really related to, but understood at any rate. His father was much more understanding, and so they were both quite tolerable of times such as these when Al needed to be on his own. After all, he was only a small part of an extremely large-often overbearing-family. However, as understanding as they might be, Albus doubted that either of his parents would take too kindly to him not bidding them farewell for his last year of Hogwarts.

"Oi! You prat!"

Smirking at both the voice crying out to him, and the words that were spoken, Albus slowly turned to greet his best mate, Scorpius Malfoy. The blonde git was scowling, and making his way straight for the Seventh Year Slytherin. Albus simply grinned in the face of Scorpius' disgruntled expression, and was sure to fiddle with his shiny Head Boy badge, only causing his friend's scowl to deepen.

"Well hullo Scor, how was your summer hols?" Albus asked cheerfully. He rarely got to meet up with Scorpius over the holidays, because even though their parents had no problems with their friendship-despite their bitter school rivalry-summertime was to be spent with family, and for Scorpius, that meant visiting his grandparents in France, and Lucius Malfoy was certainly no friend to the Potter family.

"Piss off you bloody prick." Scorpius shot off at Al, only causing the dark haired boy to grin wider. "I am mad at you Potter, and I don't even care that I haven't seen you since June."

"Aw, miss me Malfoy?" Albus taunted, not realizing how much he wanted those words to be true. He couldn't quite explain it, and so as with many things, he simply waved it off as unimportant. "Green is not your color, my Gryffindor friend." Albus teased, clearly alluding to Scorpius' envy. He supposed he could act like less of an arse about the matter, but that was just how he and Scorpius conversed. He wasn't really trying to rub it in his best mate's face, and he was fairly sure that the initial jealousy Scorpius had was vanished by this point in time.

"Shut up Potter." However Scorpius' harsh words and tone were diluted by the smile that cracked his cold facade. Albus knew it was impossible for Scorpius to stay angry at him, a fact that Al milked for all its worth. He knew that he was a sarcastic, often aloof young man, but that was all really a defense mechanism, a result of being Harry Potter's son. Over the years it had gotten easier to tell people '_I own a bloody mirror, I know who I sodding look like' _once he already had established himself as someone cold and reserved. Once the harsh exterior was broken, Al was shy and quiet and had a large heart. The problem was his heart was just too large to not be considered a target. So with the help of his older brother and younger sister, Al had managed to place walls around himself, and pushed people away, while only drawing those important to him, even closer.

"C'mon, we'd better go say goodbye to my family. Dad's probably having an aneurysm." Despite being the only daughter of Molly Weasley, Al's mother was not nearly as overbearing and smothering as her own mother had been, contrary to popular belief. Ginny Potter was a generally calm witch, unless provoked, and having grown up around boys, she knew when to let them simply be boys. Few things fazed her, and at times she could be a bit of a scatterbrain, something Al secretly attributed to her friendship with Luna Scamander.

His father, however, was a completely different story. Al did not begrudge Harry his paranoia, but it could become mildly irksome at times. His dad was nowhere near Mad Eye Moody's legendary psychosis, but he still preferred his children to be close by in crowded places such as this. Not that Albus could ever blame his father. Still, it wasn't ideal, and Al wasn't really eager to return to his family, especially with Scorpius in tow. It wasn't that any of his family really disliked him-with the exception of Roxanne. Quite the contrary, one of his redheaded devil relatives just happened to have taken a bit of a fancy to his best mate, and he couldn't quite explain why that bothered him so much.

It seemed that Scorpius was following the same train of thought Albus was, and he looked mildly uncomfortable. "Oh you haven't said your goodbyes yet? I could always get on the train and wait for you."

Rolling his emerald green eyes, Al grabbed on to Scorpius' sleeve and began physically dragging him along, ignoring the blonde's halfhearted protests. "Buck up mate. You're going to have to face Rose some time or another, better sooner than later, eh?"

"You know exactly why I don't want to Albus Severus Potter!" Scorpius snapped. With anyone else Albus would have torn their heads off for using his full name, but considering that it was Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy talking, he allowed it. Al often felt that his best mate might actually be worse off than he himself was. "Everyone just expects us to get together or something, and now Rose has got it in her head that we're meant to be-dunno where she got that idea-and I just don't want to deal with that."

"Well you'll prove them wrong eventually." Albus said idly, guiding his mate through the steam. He could have sworn that he had seen a redhead run through not to long ago, and there was an excellent chance that it was one of his many relatives, though he knew for a fact it was not his sister, as Lily Luna Potter would never be caught running on Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He snorted out loud, and shook his head at Scorpius, who glanced at him questioningly. "I was imagining Lily running around the platform."

Half a beat later, Scorpius snorted as well, before chortling slightly. "Yeah, that'll happen as soon as your uncle actually predicts the correct score of a Chudley Canons game."

Albus let out a derisive 'Ha!' and continued on his way, finally overhearing the loud chatter coming from the Weasley and Potter families. Raising his dark eyebrows at the Malfoy beside him, he tugged his mate into the fray, making his presence known to his family.

"Finally! Your mother has been worried sick!" His father cried at the spitting image of himself, narrowing his eyes when Al's simply rolled to meet his mother's. Ginny Potter, for her part, said nothing to contradict her husband, however the mirth evident on her face, and her relaxed stature compared to Harry's pointed otherwise. Not to mention Al knew that Ginny wouldn't worry after him unless she had an actual reason to. She unlike his father, seemed to realize that being seventeen and of age came with certain privileges, such as wandering the platform alone.

"Well I'm here now, and I found a stray." Albus said with a smirk, ignoring the pointed roll of the eyes Scorpius sent his way. However Al immediately regretted his words as his cousin immediately perked up, turning to smile widely at his mate, and her fellow Gryffindor Prefect. Her smile dimmed some as she caught sight of Al's badge- a painful reminder that she herself had not been made Head Girl-but brightened the instant she caught Scorpius' eyes.

Ron groaned at his daughter's reaction, but Al's Aunt Hermione simply beamed, as she tilted her head towards his mum's conspiratorially. Ginny Potter was not much of a gossip anyways, but for her part she simply nodded noncommittally, neither agreeing, nor disagreeing with Hermione's happy whispering.

Albus' mum was so his favorite.

"I see you didn't fall off the cliffs then. Did you happen to push your grandad off? My birthday is in a few days after all."

Actually, his mum was tied with his sister.

As Scorpius' grey eyes fell upon his sister's smiling brown ones, his best mate lit up, a wide grin spreading across his face. Despite the two years age difference, Lily had always been extraordinarily close to Albus and Scorpius, and was best friends with the latter, claiming that as Al was her brother, he couldn't be her best friend, nor could Roxie, as they were cousins. Al often thought his sister was full of rubbish, but he never dared to tell her so. He was a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor after all.

"Hey Lilu, hope you had a good hols." Scorpius said jovially, and the next moment found his arms full of a spunky little redhead. "Oof! Give a friend some warning next time, would you?"

Al opened his mouth to say something that he probably not ought to, however he was cut off by a severe glare from his mother. Of course only a moment later, Lily said it for him.

"That's what she said!"

Most of the family groaned, but Al, Roxie and his Uncle George simply dissolved into peals of laughter, though the latter sobered up as his only sister began angrily blaming him for introducing her youngest child to the muggle telly.

"Lily that's really quite crass of you." Albus sighed, and wished to the high heavens that Rose would just learn her lesson already. He loved his cousin dearly, however she was quite bossy, always thinking she knew best. Sometimes she did, and other times she didn't. She had taken after her mother in that regard, but Albus did not have nearly as much tolerance for it as his father did, and his sister had absolutely none. Lily and Rose had never gotten along, despite their similar names, and when Lily had immediately befriended Scorpius, and taken to hanging out with him and Al, Rose had seen it as her younger cousin encroaching upon their friendship, and had drifted apart. In recent years the animosity had only grown, culminating when Rose accepted an invitation to Hogsmeade with Lily's ex-boyfriend, _before_ the two had broken up. The one lesson Rose never seemed to learn was 'do not mess with Lily Luna Potter'.

However it seemed that Lily was doing some growing-or had great plans in store for later-because she simply ignored her cousin, a feat that had Albus raising his eyebrows. Catching his eye, she inclined her head towards their youngest cousin Louis, and Albus nodded. Though almost twelve already, it would be the part Veela's first year at Hogwarts, and they could both see the nervousness on his face as he stood with his parents a few feet away from the rest of the congregated Weasley-Potter clan. Not wanting to leave Scor to the wolves, Albus tugged his mate along with him as they went to talk to their cousin.

"Alright there Lou?" Albus asked his younger cousin, and the strawberry blonde looked up at him with wide blue eyes, clearly a nervous wreck. "You didn't let Dom tell you anything bad about Hogwarts did you? Because it really isn't that scary."

"Al's right Louis." Lily jumped in. She was fiercely protective of their youngest cousin. Maybe it was because she too was one of the youngest, or because she looked up to Dominique, or simply because they shared a birthday, but whatever the reason, he was the best thing since the Hollyhead Harpies in her mind. "There's really nothing to worry about, especially with all of us there. We'll all take care of you, even Scor."

The Gryffindor in question rolled his eyes at Albus' sister, but nodded and smiled all the same. Louis breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at his cousins. Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur sent the three of them grateful looks, and pulled Louis off to say their private farewells. Albus, Lily, and Scorpius were quickly pulled into the larger throng to be hugged multiple times, by multiple people, but they finally managed to escape and hop on the Hogwarts Express, Albus and Scorpius looking on with melancholy as they realized it was their last journey to Hogwarts.

"Al?"

"Hmm?"

"You do realize you're about to be late for the Prefects meeting? Which _you're_ supposed to plan?"

"Oh damn it all to hell!"

* * *

"Morgan le Fay!"

James Sirius Potter wished nothing more than to be drunk. Hell, he'd rather even be hungover, because then he would at least have had an amazing night. But no, there was not a trace of alcohol in his system, and as the oldest Potter child rushed around his messy flat, he wished there was a lot more than a trace of the substance in his system.

He knew that his wishing was futile, and would really only harm him, as his luck would probably cause him to be tested today, but James hated the bone crushing soreness he felt throughout his body. Damn that Oliver Wood. When it had been announced that the former Puddlemore United star would now be coaching the Falmouth Falcons-and was currently a favorite to coach England for the upcoming World Cup-James' father had warned him about the man being a bit Quidditch obsessed, and extremely determined.

His dad hadn't even scratched the lid of the jar of crazy that was Oliver Wood.

Of course, James supposed that made him even crazier, because he had loved every second of training. Well, okay, he hadn't quite loved that extra lap he had been forced to take, but he completely blamed that on Wood. The idiot had actually thought James was hitting on his wife, who was older than his mum. James' hasty attempts to try and explain that his mum just wanted Oliver and Katie to come 'round to supper sometime fell on deaf ears, and he had been forced to run an extra lap around the mile long professional Quidditch pitch.

Extra lap aside, James dared to say-only in his mind of course-that he was just as much of a Quidditch fanatic as the famed Oliver Wood. He had once been given a month's worth of detention for holding a practice in a hurricane, and instead of copying the lines he was supposed to, had simply wrote, '_It will be worth it once Gryffindor wins the cup_.'Needless to say Professor Longbottom had not been pleased, but James completely blamed that on the fact that he had never played Quidditch. His mum completely understood.

However, as much as James might understand his insane coach, he also understood just how much trouble he would be in if he were late to practice. He doubted that Wood would be very accepting of the excuse that James simply slept in late, as a result of his insane training regime.

Hence his rushing about the flat, throwing his training clothes on and searching for his equipment which he had haphazardly thrown about the moment he got home. Maybe there was something to his mother's penchant for things to be neat and orderly. He'd have to inform his father about it, Harry would never believe it. James would hardly admit it to his mum though, because though he loved her to death, she was like a teenager when she was victorious, and would not hesitate to rub it into James' face, while simultaneously making sure he always kept things clean.

As he stooped over to grab his duffle bag, James caught sight of the Daily Prophet on the coffee table, and scowled at the offending article staring up at him. His mother scowled right back at him from her picture beside her article, but James paid her no mind. He loved everything his mother wrote, except when she happened to be writing about one team in particular.

The bloody Kenmare Kestrals. The stupid Irish leprechauns had become the bane of James' existence in the past two years, but everyone else on the planet thought they were the best bloody thing since sliced bread. Only two years ago, when Aidan O'Donnell finally retired, his notoriety as the youngest professional Quidditch player on first string had been usurped by some Irish witch that was apparently the new Gwenog Jones, or as more people were taking to calling her, the new Ginny Potter. James thought it was rubbish. Red hair and a Chaser position, did not a Ginny Potter make. No one was as good as his mum. Considering James played Seeker, he could safely say that without damaging his own pride.

But besides the new player stealing James' honor-the fame really wasn't that important, it was just cool to be known as 'the youngest professional player in a century' as it brought him closer to his father-the Kenmare Kestrals were on a winning streak, even beating out James' own team once. Thankfully it had only been a scrimmage, so the Falcons were still contenders for the UK Cup, but James was not pleased in the slightest. The team seemed to have stolen the Harpies bit, as now all seven members of their first string were witches. Had they not been doing so well, it would have only been pathetic and laughable, but considering that the Kestrals were third in the league, and had once defeated the Falcons-first in the league-it was annoying and cheap, at least to James Potter. His mother was none too thrilled either; as a veteran Holyhead she was quite miffed at her old team's gimmick being stolen. However she was nothing if not professional, and James knew she had written the article with as little bias as possible, meaning that no bad light would be shed on the Kestrals, therefore James didn't care.

What he did care about, was arriving to practice on time. He was finally ready, however the pre-practice pep talk would begin in two minutes, and as the fireplace was on the other end of the Falcons stadium, James knew he would have to Apparate, something he loathed with a passion. Praying to the cloud faeries that his Aunt Luna had been talking about last week, James crossed his fingers and began to spin, hoping that his Aunt's crazy intercessions would keep him from getting splinched.

After the unpleasant experience of Apparating, James opened his eyes to find himself outside of the Falmouth Falcons locker rooms, completely intact from what he could tell. He breathed a sigh of relief, and strode into the locker room, pleased that his day was looking up from here.

"Potter! You're twenty seconds late! That'll be an additional two hundred crunches from you!"

Damn it all to hell.

* * *

"Well that could have been infinitely worse I suppose."

Lilly Luna Potter simply grinned as her older brother rolled his eyes at her. For the past month Albus lamented to anyone who would listen that he was absolutely not Head Boy material, but Lily knew better than that. The Prefect meeting had proved it. Whether he wanted to think so or not, her brother was a natural leader, and people noticed.

"Thanks for the show of support sis." He shot at her sarcastically, and Scorpius laughed derisively from behind, exchanging a happy grin with Lily.

"Come on Potter, that was pretty supportive of her. We all know you were just there to make Zabini look good, not that she really needs it."

That was true. The Ravenclaw Head Girl was well known for her stunning good looks, and was the subject of much hatred on the part of Hogwarts females. Lily just didn't care, but Demetria Zabini had struck her as an intelligent-if not aloof-young woman, and Lily had no problem working under her. Besides, she was her best friend's twin sister, so she had to be nice by default.

"You lot are awful. I need new mates." Albus grumbled, and Lily snorted. Not bloody likely. Scorpius and Albus were simply perfect, and she was the sarcastic little sister that made their sugary sweetness bearable for the rest of the world. Not to mention that Scorp was like another brother, and even though Albus was her elder brother, she was as fiercely protective of him as she was of Louis.

She still remembered her argument with the Sorting Hat over which House she should be placed in. She-and all of her relatives for that matter-knew that she really did belong in Gryffindor, but she wouldn't have it. Albus was in Slytherin all alone, and she would not stand for it. The Hogwarts population had been in for quite a shock when a Potter had been sent to Slytherin, and a Malfoy placed in Gryffindor. Lily had been determined to upset the odds once again.

When Al had written home tearfully that he was in Slytherin, and all alone, Lily had been horrified. Not that her brother was in Slytherin, because honestly, what was wrong with a little ambition and cunning? However the 'alone' part of his letter had caused her to actually cry, and she had decided right then and there she would make things right. Even though her father never intended for her to know, she had overheard him mentioning that the Sorting Hat gave people a choice. Apparently Al and Rose had made plans to choose Slytherin, to try and make changes for the better.

However Rose had gone to Gryffindor.

Lily had quickly found out that her cousin was none too upset about the turn of events, and that had truly been the straw to break the camel's back. Lily had never taken the liberty to explain to her cousin just why she despised her fellow ginger, but she could hardly stand to be around the Weasley for long. Lily knew there was a choice involved in the Sorting, and Rose evidently had not fought the Hat on its decision, despite her promise to Albus. So much for Gryffindor bravery.

Two years later, when it was Lily's turn to be Sorted, she had told the Hat point blank that she was going to Slytherin. The Hat had declared that her audacity to try and tell it what to do clearly showed her to be a Gryffindor, but Lily wasn't having any of it. She had sat on the stool for nearly ten minutes, arguing with the blasted Hat while the rest of the students looked on in confusion. Eventually her stubbornness-and natural Slytherin-esque traits, such as cunning and ambition-won out, and she was sent to the House of emerald and silver, to look after her hopeless brother, and his equally helpless best friend.

Even at eleven, she could see what was right in front of their eyes.

It had all worked out for the best. Lily had been quite happy with Slytherin, because really, from an aesthetic standpoint, no other House really fit. Scarlet and gold were lovely colors, truly, however she could never understand why Weasleys were so excited to be placed there, when the colors clashed so dreadfully with the famous flaming hair. And Hufflepuff's mustard yellow was almost worse. Ravenclaw was decent, however the bronze just did not fit with Lily's bright red hair, and so it was with joy that she decked herself in emerald and silver each morning at Hogwarts. Al thought she was barmy, but his hair was black-not to mention he was a male-so he could get away with wearing anything.

"You'll never find better mates than us." Lily declared, as if it were the most obvious statement in the world. As neither Al nor Scorpius said anything to the contrary, she accepted that as a concession, and continued leading the boys through the corridors to the compartment where the others would be waiting for them.

"So I heard you made Quidditch Captain Lilu. Beat out this clumsy oaf then?"

Lily faked preening under Scorpius' praise, ignoring her brother's scowl, but she simply smiled and nodded. Absentmindedly her fingers reached up to trace the badge pinned to her chest. She had been pleasantly surprised to get the badge, thinking that it would belong to her brother for sure. However Al had admitted that while he loved flying, he didn't have the heart for Quidditch, not like the rest of his family. He was talented, and would always love the sport, however he wasn't nearly as fanatical as his mother, brother and sister. Their father still loved it more than Al did, however he understood the importance of other things in life, things that Lily would admit, she often forgot about in place of Quidditch.

Of course homework was certainly not one of those Important Things.

"That I did. But don't worry Scorp, you won't have to train your ragtag team too hard, we'll flatten you in the first match."

The blonde snorted at her in disbelief, to which Lily coolly arched a ginger eyebrow, and said flatly, "You have McLaggen and Smith on your team. No way in hell do you have a chance of beating us with them as Beaters. The only thing they'll beat is themselves."

Scorpius scoffed. "Please. You have Roxanne Weasley. If that isn't a sign that your team is going to the dogs I don't know what is."

His claim was spoken just as Albus opened the glass door to their usual compartment, and the girl in question glared up at Scorpius. Roxanne-one of Lily's favorite cousins by _far-_was not a fan of her best friend. Lily wasn't quite sure if it was because Roxie felt she was being replaced, or if it was something else altogether, but the two were civil to each other, and that was it. Lily never asked for more, though she was often curious as to the animosity between them, but it really was none of her business.

Seeing Roxie and one of her other beloved cousins Hugo-Great, Great Auntie Muriel had been right, their families _did _breed like rabbits-immersed in a game of Exploding Snap, Lily plopped down in the lap of one of her best mates, Ashton Zabini. Though there was never anything but a platonic relationship between Lily and the older Slytherin, she could often be found sitting on his lap, or he playing with her hair. They were comforts to each other, and no one but the people in the compartment really understood the dynamics of their relationship. Well, that was giving a little too much credit, Al didn't really understand, but he was male, and of the James variety, so Lily forgave him.

"Congratulations Lily, I heard you made Prefect. Can't say I'm surprised, but it's well earned."

Lily smiled across at another friend, Melina Penbrooke, a Sixth Year Gryffindor who had always been fond of Scorpius, and then Lily by default. Lily knew she secretly adored Albus as a brother, however the two of them covered up their platonic affection for one another by bickering like an old married couple, taking constant digs and cheap shots at one another.

"Thanks Mel. It came as a surprise to me, I thought for sure Roxie and I had disqualified ourselves."

The cousin in question snorted at her assessment. "Yeah right There's only four girls in our year Lilu, and I hardly think Prince and Goyle count."

Ashton nodded sagely in agreement with Roxie. "She's right you know. Not that I don't think you couldn't have grabbed it up on your own merits, but Tina Prince acts far too much like a princess to get the badge, and Gertrude is more brawn than brains. Roxie, for all her trouble making, doesn't have any finesse or stealth, which leaves you, dearest Lilykins, to claim the position as Slytherin Prefect for your very own."

Lily rolled her eyes at her best mate's antics, punching his shoulder slightly. "Zabini, you belong in the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts[1], I always said so."

"Oi!" Melina cried from behind her book. "Potter! That's my boyfriend you're punching!"

Lily's eyes widened comically, and she looked between her two grinning friends before squealing excitedly. "Finally! Oh le Fay, I've been waiting for you two to get your acts together for years!" At this declaration Scorpius nodded his agreement, before bending his head slightly to congratulate Melina. Albus and Roxie simply rolled their eyes, while Hugo just focused on his game of Exploding Snap, which he was performing quite dreadfully at. He-like his father-was much better at Wizards Chess than any of the fun card games his cousins liked to partake in.

Realizing that while she had often collapsed into Ashton's lap over the years, he was now dating one of their best friends, Lily gently picked herself off of Ash, and made to move in between her brother and Scorpius, but a slight tug from the blonde sent her tumbling into his lap instead. Taking stride from Lily, Melina moved over to sit next to her new boyfriend, curling into him slightly, and Lily had to resist the urge to coo.

"So Hugo, why do you reckon you weren't made a Prefect?" Albus asked tactlessly, and Lily rolled her eyes, certain that Scorpius was doing the same behind her. Sometimes her brothers had absolutely no tact whatsoever. She and her dad blamed it on their Uncle Ron, though occasionally they blamed it on the entire Weasley family in general.

Hugo, for his part, simply shrugged. "Dunno. I guess they figured they had enough Weasleys and Potters to rule the world." He said with a grin, and Al flushed.

Lily simply rolled her eyes and stood up, stretching slightly. Grabbing her robes, she smiled at her friends. "Well I'm off then. I promised Marcus I'd go and sit with him for a while." Marcus Goldstein-her boyfriend of almost a year-was notoriously impatient, a trait that made him far better suited for Gryffindor than Ravenclaw, at least in Lily's opinion.

At the mention of Marcus' name, all the boys in the compartment immediately narrowed their eyes at Lily, causing her to glare at them. They had all made their opinions on her choice of a boyfriend quite well known, but she really didn't care. She liked Marc, and he was good to her. Roxie and Mel weren't huge fans of the bloke either, but they respected Lily's privacy, and didn't mention their dislike. Ash, Al, Scorp and Hugo could all do well to take a leaf from their books, though to be fair Hugo never really said anything, he was simply silently disapproving.

Opening her mouth to give her relatives and friends a fierce scolding-one she had repeated many times-however at that exact second Roxie managed to get rid of her last card, winning the game, and causing the cards to explode. However it seemed that her cousins had raised the stakes, and played with one of the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes All Purpose Explosion Decks, causing a blowup akin to a minor-harmless-bomb being set off in the compartment. Lily gritted her teeth, realizing that her clothes and hair were singed, leaving her in no state to go anywhere at the moment.

"Damn it all to hell!"

* * *

There were certain benefits to being a Prefect, and Rose Anna Weasley planned on milking them for all they were worth. She had never been one to abuse her power before, and she certainly did not intend to now. However Scorpius Malfoy was her Seventh Year counterpart, which meant that the two of them would be patrolling together once again. In previous years they had patrolled together occasionally, but Scorpius would often switch to patrol with Ashton Zabini, the Slytherin Prefect in their year.

This year however, Demetria Zabini had stressed the fact that she wanted Prefects from the same House patrolling together, at least initially. Rose had no doubt she would be able to arrange something with the Head Girl, she had built up good relations with the Ravenclaw, and she doubted Albus would do much. He hadn't even been a Prefect for Morgan's sakes!

The fact of the matter was Rose had a crush. She wasn't quite sure when that particular crush had manifested, but the redhead had finally realized it towards the end of the previous year. She-like many other girls-had often admired Scorpius Malfoy, because he was extremely attractive, however she hadn't really understood that the attraction ran deeper until the end of her Sixth Year. By this point she just found herself praying that she hadn't stumbled upon that particular discovery too late.

Rose was confident that even if she had been a smidgen late boarding the 'I fancy Scorpius Malfoy' train, she would still have a chance to pick up her slack. When coming to the realization that the blonde Malfoy heir was the object of her previously unknown affections, she had been relieved at the Sorting Hat's decision. She knew that she had broken a promise, one that she regretted, but it was worth it. She sometimes wished she were closer to Al like she used to be-especially considering that he was Scorpius' best mate-but there was no use crying over spilled butterbeer.

Focusing now on her task at hand, Rose strode through the corridors of the scarlet steam engine, her shiny badge gleaming importantly on her chest. She rather wished it were a bit larger, and gold instead of silver, but she had accepted her loss gracefully. She was upset and jealous of Demetria, but she rather liked the quiet Ravenclaw, and was pleased for her friend nonetheless. Albus' appointment as Head Boy however, had been simply startling. She hadn't a clue what Flitwick was thinking. Gone was the once cheerful, 'heart on his sleeve' Potter boy that she had once known. Rose was far too clever to think that Al's chilly demeanor and biting words were anything more than a sloppily constructed mask to hide his insecurities and shyness, but still; he hardly was a good candidate for Head Boy. He wasn't even the Prefect for his House's year. At least it would have made sense if the Zabini twins were Heads together.

Of course, as disgruntled as Rose was about her cousin's new position, she was extremely satisfied with how things had panned out after all. She might not be Head Girl, but she would still get the chance to patrol with Scorpius, and spend some quality time getting to know him a little better. It was with this goal in mind that she trod briskly towards the back of the Hogwarts Express, to the compartment where Rose knew the blonde Prefect would be, with the rest of his friends.

She would be a liar if she said she wasn't the slightest bit nervous about entering that compartment. Lily had made it perfectly clear years ago, that she was not welcome there. Rose had never really gotten along with the youngest Potter, but she was in no hurry to incur Lily's wrath, especially considering she would be on the redhead's territory. She had little to no relationship with Lily's friend Zabini, and while she liked and respected Melina, she knew the girl had a lifelong crush on Ashton, and was extremely loyal to their group of friends. Roxie was the cousin Lily was probably closest too, and just as formidable as the older witch. She had even less patience for Rose than Lily did, and less of a reason to hold back. Hugo would probably try to stay out of any argument, not wanting to choose sides between his sister, and his friends and cousins, while Al would probably just watch on in amusement, playing devil's advocate when it suited him. And then there was Scorpius Malfoy.

Rose had never really built up a relationship with the son of her parents' school rival, something that she was beginning to sorely regret. Her father had warned her to stay away from him, and she had heeded his advice, cautioning Albus when he struck up a friendship with him. Sure, Rose acknowledged that he was in Gryffindor with herself, but her parents and Uncle Harry had told her the stories of the traitor Wormtail, who also had been a Gryffindor. Besides, she was at the age where the differences between girls and boys did not matter to her, and so she found herself befriending a muggleborn in her dormitory, as well as a quiet but happy Alyssa Longbottom from Hufflepuff House. Rose had always been content with her friends, and never really sought others out. It wasn't even until sixth year that she had taken notice of boys, and her first choice just so happened to be her cousin's then boyfriend. Of course Lily got over it, and quickly moved on from Sam to Marcus, but Rose didn't really have much of an interest in the Hufflepuff boy either. She had not intended to hurt Lily, she hadn't even known that the two were dating, but she found no way to explain that to her cousin. And when Lily moved on from Sam, so had Rose, though she chalked that up to a disastrous, awkward date the two had shared.

Unfortunately for her, her latest fancy seemed to be Scorpius Malfoy, her two cousins' best mate.

For years now, her mother-and sometimes her father as well, though he often spoke in grumbles-speculated that she would end up with the Malfoy heir. At first Rose had been terrified that her mother was secretly pining for Scorpius' father, and was attempting to live out a torrid love affair vicariously through her daughter. However that theory had been largely due to her then current obsession with muggle romances, some of them rather scandalous. Rose had been fourteen at the time, and was always on the mature side, but she knew if her father ever caught her with such books his ears would quickly resemble beef jerky, and she would truly be in for it.

However recently Rose had begun to realize that maybe everyone else was right. She had never taken much notice of Scorpius, as he was often attached to Lily's or Al's hip. Even though they were both on the Quidditch team, Scorpius becoming Captain last year, the two had never really interacted much. The two of them had simply traveled in different circles, but Rose had started to watch Scorpius towards the end of last year. She knew how the rumors circulated about the two of them-odd considering they hardly talked-and she was vaguely aware there was even a betting pool of some sort, no doubt started by Freddie, who had once overheard the speculations of their parents. But aside from just the rumors, Scorpius was an interesting person. He was intelligent, he did as well in classes as she did-her father had been quite disappointed to learn that Rose hadn't beaten him on _every _test-good at Quidditch, and from what Rose had seen, had a very large heart. And then of course, he wasn't exactly hard on the eyes.

Morgan le Fay, who was she kidding? Scorpius Malfoy was _fit_.

Of course there was a lot more to the blonde than that, but Rose was not so ignorant as to simply ignore a bloke's looks completely, trying only to focus on personality. She was neither blind, nor pansexual, a guy like Scorpius definitely did things for her. However it seemed that while he had been out of her notice for years, the same had held true for him regarding her. Scorpius Malfoy didn't seem to really care who she was, and wasn't likely to give her the time of day, at least as things stood now.

But Rose Weasley had a plan.

Throughout his Hogwarts career, Scorpius Malfoy had never once been known to date. He spent his free time with Lily and Albus, often with Melina and Ashton as well. Rose knew that while the bond between Lily and Scorpius was strong, it was purely platonic, and nothing would ever progress there. Now with Melina and Ashton a couple, that left all the girls in Scorpius' circle matched, aside from Roxanne, but everyone and their brother knew that Malfoy and that particular Weasley couldn't stand one another, and only did so for their friends' sakes.

She hadn't managed to find out why Scorpius never dated, which was presenting her with a bit of a dilemma. How was Rose supposed to become the solution when she didn't even know what the problem was? However she was determined to make this work, and had been trying to get closer to Scorpius for months now, having dropped hints to her fellow Gryffindor since the previous March. She hadn't fooled herself into thinking that she was being overtly subtle, but she grew up around men, and if her father was anything to go off of, obliviousness was often the norm with them, so Rose was reassured, certain that Scorpius didn't think her desperate. She didn't want to come across as a whiny, clingy princess, however she was rather impatient for her crush to cotton on to her feelings.

Finally reaching the compartment where her cousins usually were, Rose took a deep breath, smoothing down her red hair and attempting to compose herself. She wished she had thought to tame her bushy red hair a little more, but for now she would just have to make the best of things, and pray that Scorpius didn't mind. Hoping also that luck would grant her the absence of one Lily Potter, Rose summoned up her Gryffindor courage, and pulled the door of the compartment open. Immediately silence fell, and she shifted awkwardly from one foot to another at the entrance. Lily was not in the compartment-Rose noted with relief-however neither was Scorpius. Looking around anxiously, her eyes fell on Albus who had cleared his throat, and stared at her with one brow cocked.

Blushing furiously, she squeaked at first, before managing to compose herself to her normal grace and dignity. "Erm-I'm supposed to patrol with Scorpius now. Have you seen him?"

Roxanne snorted from her position on the floor, playing Gobstones with Rose's younger brother. Neither of them looked up at her, but Rose had been able to read the meaning behind the snort, and she flushed further. To her surprise Albus stood up and stretched, and oh Morgan le Fay, he really was getting quite tall wasn't he?

"Bad luck Rose. Scorpius left to patrol an hour ago with Ash. You and I will be patrolling instead."

Damn it all to hell.

* * *

The castle looked rather bare and empty.

Dominique Gabrielle Weasley had of course, gone on nighttime wanderings during her five year stay at Hogwarts, however she had never really experienced it like this. Without the students filling it up, there was just something different about it.

The strawberry blonde sighed, and pushed her bangs out of her eyes. She had not been blessed with the naturally curly hair that her sister and brother possessed, so in a vain attempt to do something more to differentiate herself from the rest of her family Dominique had her hair always pin straight, with blunt, thick bangs, that just brushed her pale eyelashes. It looked good on her-though her mother often argued her bangs would look better swept to the side-however it was not a very conducive hairstyle for a career as an Auror. It was something her partner seemed to notice, as he kept giving her sideways glances, however he was too uncomfortable to really say anything. Dominique had always had that effect on people, and it had nothing to do with her status as a part Veela.

The young Auror was not one hundred percent sure why she was even needed at Hogwarts this year. Her Uncle Harry had been exceedingly vague on the details, only bothering to explain that Flitwick had requested a pair of Aurors to guard Hogwarts this year, and as the youngest and newest fully fledged Aurors, she and Logan Wood would be the ones who got the honor.

Well kudos for them.

Dominique rather believed that this assignment was a hazing of some sort, maybe a joke on her Uncle Harry's part. After all, she hadn't even been trained in Britain, she was a transfer over from the French Ministry. She hadn't really been planning on returning to her native country this year-or ever really-but Dominique Weasley was a capricious young woman, a dangerous trait to have as an Auror. In fact her choice to become an Auror shocked many people, not least her parents. They were convinced that she was still on some massive, warped guilt trip, but it had nothing to do with _that_. Dominique had simply been talking to her Career Advisor at Beauxbatons, and had seen a pamphlet for the Auror Department, and thought to herself, _'hey, why not?'_ That was often the deciding factor in most of her choices in life, the little voice inside her head telling her that she ought to try everything at least once.

When she had written home with the announcement that she was chasing a career as an Auror, her news was met with varying degrees of skepticism. After all, Dominique was known to be subject to many whims, and after that last summer, some thought her _not quite right_, but none of that really mattered, because it was what Dom wanted to do. She knew she had scared her family, terrified her parents and little brother, but she just couldn't bring herself to be...better. She was Dominique, and she was about as fucked up as they came. The only ones who really understood her were Lily and James. Freddie was always a source of comfort, and Roxie was always good for a laugh, but no one seemed to get what was going inside her head like Lily and James did. It was strange, because neither of them had ever had her experiences, but they just..._knew._ Her Uncle Harry knew too, however he just knew too much, and his gazes were too piercing, and whatever, Dominique didn't have to deal with that because she could be whatever the hell she wanted to be, and she wanted to be an Auror.

Dom had made the initial decision on a whim, but she followed through with it, determined to spite her family, because they didn't believe in her, not really. They had always told her that she could do anything, but they didn't really mean it, because they saw her as limited, flawed. Later in life she became 'just fucked up', and there wasn't a thing anyone could do to fix it. But Dominique never saw the point in fixing what had always been broken.

The part Veela often thought Lily's godmother saw things the right way. Luna Scamander was an interesting mind, one that was like a balm to Dominique's own racing one. She had found a kindred spirit, writing to the wizarding naturalist, however she often felt restless and even Luna was not enough to help.

Being at Hogwarts just made things worse.

Dominique knew she was making her partner uneasy, but the two of them hadn't ever really bonded. She had only arrived back in Britain in August, and she was immediately paired with the newest instated Auror, Logan Wood, a man one year her junior. He didn't exactly seem to be a talkative fellow, but Dominique could tell their awkward silence made him uncomfortable.

Well la-di-da, she wasn't going to do anything about it.

Except she was, because dying by suffocation, via awkward silence was a horrible way to die. She opened her mouth to say something-surely it would be completely lame and pointless-when she was interrupted by a voice that sent a shiver down her spine, the likes of which she hadn't experienced since she was fifteen.

"Dominique! You're really here!"

Dom's back was ramrod straight, and she knew that her expression had to be stony, but it seemed that her older sister did not care in the slightest, as Victoire literally launched herself at Dom. Though Victoire was older than her by three years, she had always been the shorter of the sisters, making hugs rather awkward in Dominique's opinion, though she wasn't really a fan of hugs to begin with.

"Yes. Harry assigned Wood and I to Hogwarts this year." Dominique's words came out stiffly and formally, but she just didn't know how to talk to her older sister. She never really had, and everything had just become infinitely worse when she transferred to Beauxbatons. Dom knew it was an irrational thought, but she had been counting on not having to speak to her sister more than absolutely necessary, which meant maybe once every other year at the most. But now Victoire was...here?

"Why are you here?" Dominique asked bluntly, ignoring Wood who was just shuffling from side to side awkwardly. The two Aurors had decided to get a jump on patrolling, and were now on the marble staircase, but they hadn't seen Victoire come flying up. Some Dark Wizard catchers they were. Dominique had always reckoned there was too much innocence in her sister for Victoire to be anything but pure evil.

Victoire frowned at Dominique's question, clearly put out, and automatically the younger Weasley began racking her brains, trying to remember if she had stored any pertinent information as to why Victoire would be here. Maybe she was coming to see Louis get Sorted? Dom was admittedly ashamed of the fact that she only knew Louis would be attending Hogwarts this year because her mother had flat out told her so. She held no grudge against her younger brother, and while Lily was always more sister-like to him, she had a bit of a fondness for him.

However that theory was shaky at best. Parents and siblings didn't get to come and watch their loved ones be Sorted, it just wasn't done. It would be an absolute madhouse if it were allowed, and Dominique cast her mind back to her fifth year, before everything fell to pieces, and Scorpius Malfoy had been placed in Gryffindor. Dom knew that her family-at least her Aunt and Uncle-wouldn't care that Al was a Slytherin, but the same could not be said for Scorpius' family, and had Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy been present at the Sorting, all hell would have broken loose. So there had to be another explanation for why Victoire was here, but Dom didn't like the ones her mind was coming up with. What did her sister do again? Wasn't she a Healer of some sort?

"You really don't remember, do you? I work here Dominique, I share living quarters with Teddy now. He got his Potions Masters license last June and is teaching here now, and I'm the school nurse. I know I must have told you this Dominique, are you sure you can't recall it?"

Logan Wood coughed uncomfortably beside her, but Dominique paid him no mind, frozen in place, eyes staring at her sister, but not really seeing.

Damn it all to hell.

* * *

By the time second year rolled around, the Sorting Hat's song got old.

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy had never really been a fan of the ratty old Hat. Sure, _now _he loved Gryffindor, and was quite proud of his House and their accomplishments, however it had caused him quite a bit of distress when he had first been placed in the House of scarlet and gold. His parents had been surprisingly calm about it. They hadn't quite been expecting him to end up in Gryffindor, but they had taken it in their stride, just proving how reformed they really were. Scorpius' grandfather was another matter altogether, however he had no say over how Scorpius lived his life, his father had taken care of that.

Even now, certain days Scorpius couldn't help but let his mind wander, wondering what it would be like in his father's old House. Albus and Lily were both very much at home in Slytherin-despite their own family's longstanding history with Gryffindor-and Scorpius envied them at times. And then there were certain days when Scorpius longed for nothing more than to share a dormitory with his best mate, because everything would be so much easier, and so much more difficult at the same time.

He was not ignorant to the candle he held for Albus Potter.

It had taken Scorpius some time to realize it, but eventually he had come to terms with the fact that he was in love with Albus Potter. It hadn't been some glorious epiphany with a muggle light bulb flashing over his head. It had been as simple as Scorpius glancing over at his best mate one day and realizing-_bloody hell I'm in love with Albus Potter_. Of course when he attempted to share that revelation with Lily, she had simply given him a blank stare, and informed him that she had known it since her very first year. She had assured him that Al reciprocated those feelings-he just didn't _know_ it yet-but Scorpius often had his doubts.

Like now, for instance. As Weasley, Louis was Sorted into Hufflepuff-big surprise, the youngest Weasley was like a strawberry blonde Pygmy Puff, so sweet he made teeth rot-Scorpius glanced over at the Slytherin table. Eleanor Corner was sitting next to Al, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder flirtatiously, often fluttering her eyelashes, and making simpering faces at Albus. It was absolutely sickening, and Scorpius' stomach literally turned when his friend caught his eye and winked, flashing him an arrogant grin. The prat was actually enjoying Scorpius' pain!

He knew logically that Albus was just milking up the attention from a pretty girl, but still, it hurt. Scorpius often just wanted to blurt the truth out to Al, if only to relieve the burden from his shoulders, but he didn't even know how to begin to approach the subject.

"_Hey Al. I know you're straight, but I'm not, and I'm in love with you, and by the way I feel comfortable telling you, because Lily says you're in love with me too. Don't worry, you just don't realize it yet, but you will right about...now."_

Oh yeah, that conversation would go over brilliantly. And then if Scorpius ever got past that particular roadblock, there were his own parents to deal with. They had been truly wonderful about everything in the past-they had grown up, despite whatever grudges certain people still clung to-but he had no idea how they would handle this. And he didn't even want to think about what his grandfather would say. It was just a giant mess he was getting himself into, and he wasn't even involved with anyone.

He would go to the grave blaming Lily Potter for it.

Tearing his eyes-and his thoughts-away from Al, he continued to glance around the Great Hall, acknowledging the friends that met his eye. Unlike his father, Scorpius had always been an outgoing, amicable person, the perfect counterpart to the antisocial, secretly shy Albus Potter. They had always made quite a pair, and-no. Scorpius wasn't thinking about him right now. That was suddenly made a lot easier, because Rose Weasley managed to slide into the suddenly vacant spot across from him, and the redhead seemed to be in the mood to talk.

"So Scorpius, I couldn't find you on the train today."

That was intentional.

"Er, yeah, Ashton and I wanted to get a jump start on patrolling. What with his twin being Head Girl, and our best mate being Head Boy, we didn't want to give either of them any reason to think we were slacking off." That was an absolute lie. Roxie had spotted Rose coming, and Al had quickly tossed his two friends his dad's old Cloak, and then fed his cousin a lie about Scorpius and Ashton patrolling to get her out of the compartment.

Rose snorted delicately-was that even possible? Lily would say it wasn't-before offering her own unasked for opinion.

"Please, Albus doesn't know the first thing about authority, accept when to flaunt his disrespect for it. Just you wait, he'll be abusing his power in no time. I'm sure Professor Flitwick will realize you're an ideal candidate. I was absolutely shocked when you didn't make it!"

Scorpius scowled slightly at the redhead, so different from Lily. He didn't appreciate anyone talking about his friends that way, especially not about Albus. Al was different, special. He didn't deserve a tongue lashing he wasn't even aware of. He shouldn't be the victim of Hogwarts gossip at the hands of his cousin, and Scorpius would do his best to put a stop to it.

He wondered if he had ever egged this on at all. Sure, he had wanted to be Head Boy. He worked hard, got excellent marks, and fulfilled his duties as a Prefect and Quidditch Captain. However he also saw why Albus would be an excellent choice. He was clever, and knew how to apply his intelligence, a trait which Scorpius-and Rose, not that he dared tell her that-could improve upon, and he was naturally charismatic. Scorpius would tease his mate about it, but really, he bore his friend no ill that he had been awarded Head Boy while Scorpius had not. However he couldn't fathom why Rose seemed to think him bitter, unless it was her own dissatisfaction bleeding through her words.

"Actually, I think Al will be a great Head Boy. It'll be good for him, and who knows? Maybe he'll learn that there are better ways to deal with shyness other than being an antisocial git." Actually Scorpius loved that about Al-along with pretty much everything else-because it guaranteed him time alone with his friend. "And I doubt he'll abuse his power. Even if he did have his badge revoked I wouldn't take it. It belongs to Albus."

Rose bit her lip, clearly startled by the heat behind Scorpius' words, moving away slightly as Flitwick dismissed the students, causing Scorpius to let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, okay, that was out of bounds, sorry. I just meant Albus was an unexpected choice, but maybe you're right." She eyed him shrewdly, making Scorpius feel rather uncomfortable, if he was quite honest. "I just thought that I'd inform you, we're patrolling together tomorrow." With that parting tidbit, the redhead turned and disappeared in the sea of black, all making their ways to their respective Common Rooms, leaving Scorpius sitting at the table still, before dropping his head against the hard wood.

Damn it all to hell.

* * *

**So how did I do? Some of the characters' pieces were a little shorter than others, but I plan to focus on many different characters in this story, so some will be featured more prominently in certain chapters than others.** **Reviews are appreciated, constructive criticism is welcome, flames are amusing, and every read is appreciated. **

**[1]- The Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts as referenced in The Tales of Beedle the Bard**


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